Jan Lokpal Bill almost ready, CM office in purview: Arvind Kejriwal

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday said that his office has been kept under the purview of Jan Lokpal Bill, whose broad contours have been finalised, and will be taken up in the cabinet early next week.

"The Chief Minister office will be under the Jan Lokapal Bill," Kejriwal told reporters here after emerging from a high level meeting of the bill drafting committee and the government's senior officials.

A senior official said the meeting was chaired by Kejriwal to discuss the fine prints of the bill. He added that the bill was almost ready and within a couple of days all the work related to it would be completed.

"The Bill will be put for approval in the cabinet meeting scheduled for early next week," said the official.

The anti-corruption Jan Lokpal Bill, which is largely based on Uttarakhand Lokayukta Bill, differs in some regards including the issue of inclusion of Chief Minister in its ambit. Unlike Uttarakhand, the CM office will be under the purview of the Bill, added the official.

To a query on Swaraj Bill, the official said that draft of the bill would be put in public domain very soon. The effort is on to see that the day the special session is called to pass Jan Lokpal Bill, Swaraj Bill is introduced, said the official.

Soon after assuming the office on December 28 last year, Kejriwal had said his government would pass the promised Jan Lokpal Bill from Ramlila Ground by the first week of February.

A committee headed by the Chief Secretary and secretaries of Urban Development, Law and Finance departments, besides eminent advocate Rahul Mehra has been given the responsibility of drafting the January Lokpal Bill.

In its election manifesto for Delhi Assembly election, AAP had promised to cover all the officials and employees of Delhi Government, from the Chief Minister to MLAs.